In the early morning hours of January 23, 2023, the life of 31-year-old Justin Gerhard Stewart was tragically cut short in South Bend, Indiana. A Black male, Stewart was discovered with gunshot wounds around 4 a.m. in the 500 block of South 29th Street in the River Park neighborhood. He was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Stewart, known to his loved ones as 'Stewie,' was remembered as a man with a vibrant personality and an infectious smile who was fiercely protective of those he cared for. He was a father of three and worked as a welder at Barletta Pontoon Boats.
The investigation into Stewart's death, led by the South Bend Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit, uncovered a plot allegedly born from a desire for revenge. According to court documents, the shooting was believed to be in retaliation for a prior incident in September 2022 where one of the suspects, Christopher Brown, was shot and believed Stewart was involved. The investigation identified three individuals as suspects in connection with Stewart's death.
Christopher Brown, 34, and London Davis, 30, were the first to be arrested and charged. Brown faced charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, while Davis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. A third suspect, 34-year-old Samantha Zsedeny, was later apprehended in Florida and also charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Investigators alleged that Brown had enlisted the help of several women to purchase handguns and to locate Stewart on the night of the shooting. Text messages reportedly confirmed that Brown had asked one of the women to lure Stewart out.
In a significant development in the case, in August 2025, Christopher Brown entered into a plea agreement. After a day and a half of a jury trial, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. As part of the agreement, the murder charge against him was dismissed. The plea deal, made in consultation with Stewart's family, called for a 25-year sentence to be served in the Indiana Department of Corrections. His formal sentencing was scheduled for September 2025.
